Apartment building fire displaces 3 people in Waipahu

Three people were displaced after a fire heavily damaged the second floor of a two-story apartment building tonight in Waipahu.

The Red Cross assisted the three, who live in three units on the first floor, where the strong smell of smoke made the units uninhabitable. The second-floor units were reported to have been under repair and unoccupied, fire Capt. Terry Seelig said.

The electricity to the building also had to be cut off.

Firefighters responded to the 6:04 p.m. alarm fire at 94-232 Aniani Place, arrived in five minutes and had the fire under control by 6:29 p.m. The fire was extinguished at 6:42 p.m.

The fire appeared to have started on the second floor, Seelig said. Investigators will return Thursday to continue their investigation into the cause.

The blaze caused an estimated $280,000 in damage to the building, whose bottom floor’s walls are masonry and upper floor walls are wooden.

A preliminary investigation revealed nothing suspicious, Seelig said.

One of the residents, a woman, was evaluated by Emergency Medical Services personnel for smoke exposure at the scene, but refused further treatment.